A recent survey has revealed that significant budgetary allocations continue to be directed towards the road sector.
The Economic Survey 2025 indicates that the largest share of resources is consistently allocated to upgrading trunk and primary roads, improving secondary and minor roads and maintaining existing networks.
“The total budget for roads is expected to increase by 29.1 per cent to Sh171.9 billion in 2024/25,” part of the survey released on Tuesday by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows.
Road development plays a crucial role in enhancing connectivity, promoting economic growth and facilitating trade and mobility, the survey states.
It notes that development expenditure on roads is also projected to increase from Sh66.7 billion in 2023/24 to Sh102.4 billion in 2024/25.
The budget for maintenance and repair saw a 4.5 per cent increase, rising from Sh66.5 billion in 2023/24 to Sh69.5 billion in 2024/25.
The survey also indicates that upgrading low volume sealed roads (LVSR) to bitumen standard remains a key pillar of the country’s infrastructure development strategy.
This initiative aims to improve connectivity, enhance rural-urban integration and boost economic activities by upgrading gravel and earth roads to bitumen standard.
During the year under review, roadworks were underway in all counties except Lamu.
“A total of 2,456.7 kilometres were maintained or graded at an estimated cost of Sh255.2 billion.”
The survey’s road inventory and condition assessment recorded a total of 239,000 kilometres of roads nationwide as of June last year, comprising 165,000 kilometres of classified roads and 74,000 kilometres of unclassified roads.
“The length of superhighways more than doubled in 2024 to stand at 365 kilometres, largely due to the reclassification of the Dongo Kundu bypass, the Kipevu Link Road and the Nairobi Southern Bypass, which have since been reclassified to Class S.”
The total length of roads under bitumen increased from 23,000 kilometres in 2023 to 24,000 kilometres, for the period in review.
The length of national trunk roads and primary roads under bitumen also increased by 9.1 per cent to 21,000 kilometres over the same period.
Major roadworks last year included the construction of the 453.0km Lamu-Ijara-Garissa Road, estimated to cost Sh18 billion and was 52 per cent complete.
Other significant projects include the construction of the 8.96km Mombasa Port Area Development Project (MPARD) phase 2 road (Mwache-Mteza section), with an estimated construction cost of Sh24.3 billion, which was 93.1 per cent complete.
The Isebania-Kisii road was also nearing completion at 98.1 per cent, while the Kulamawe-Modogashe road was 24.7 per cent complete.
The survey also notes that the construction of the 2.8km Miritini Meter Gauge Railway-Mombasa Terminus and Makupa Causeway, at an estimated cost of Sh4,801million, was on schedule, with 98 per cent of works completed by the end of 2024.
“The Riruta/Lenana-Ngong line, which is 12.5 kilometres with an estimated cost of Sh1,231.8 million, is 12 per cent complete in the same review period.”
